Comfort
by Ari 347
Summary: Rangiku Matsumoto is beginning to worry about her captain and there's one person she can think of to help. Enter Karin!


**A/N:** Hey there! So I think this one ended up having Toshiro a bit OOC, so be careful! This was kind of inspired by Yemi Hikari's Finding Friendship, which also explores post-zombification (is that an actual word?), but totally not the same idea. Check it out if you have a chance!

As always, enjoy!

* * *

Rangiku looked down at her small taicho. Kurotsuchi had succeeded in turning the zombified members of the Soul Society back to their original selves, but Toshiro was still acting a bit odd. He cringed when anyone tried to touch him and seemed to have terrible nightmares. But still the child didn't open up.

"Taicho? Taicho, how are you feeling?" she asked softly, seeing the teal eyes slowly flickering open.

The child sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "M-Matsumoto?"

"I'm right here. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Toshiro looked around. "Why am I still in the fourth? I'm fine."

"Isane wants to make sure you are. You've been having bad nightmares and you're on hair trigger. No one can get near you." Rangiku gently stroked his cheek until he pushed her hand away. "Everyone's worried about you."

"There's no reason to be. I told you, I'm fine," Toshiro repeated. He stood up and his knees buckled. Rangiku grabbed him around the waist, making him glare at her.

"Stay in bed, taicho. You're still weak."

"I am not! I can-"

Isane entered the room, hearing the commotion. "Hitsugaya-taicho, you're still exhausted from being taken over. I will only allow you back to your own quarters if I see that you can behave yourself."

"Fine. I'll stay in my room." Toshiro gave the tall fukutaicho his best glare, but she'd learned from the best. "Just let me out of here."

"All right. But I will be stopping by often." Isane motioned for Rangiku to go outside. "Rangiku, I'd like to speak to you for a minute."

The two women stepped outside. "His nightmares haven't gone away, have they?" Isane asked quietly.

"I don't think so. He keeps waking up at night, if he even tries to get to sleep. He hasn't slept much at all." Rangiku ran her fingers through her hair tiredly. "I haven't been able to keep an eye on him as much as I'd like, but there's no one I'd trust who could be spared to babysit."

"I know, but – Oh!"

"What?"

Isane snapped her fingers. "I think I have an idea."

Karin glared at the two women in front of her. "So you're telling me that Toshiro needs me? Did he actually say that, or are you putting words in his mouth? Because the Toshiro I know wouldn't ask for help even if he was dying."

"He…didn't exactly ask us. We're just…taking the initiative." Rangiku exchanged a glance with Isane. It would prove harder to convince the darker Kurosaki twin than they'd thought. "He was turned into a zombie in the war with the Quincies and he hasn't gone back to being his regular self. We just want you to talk to him."

"The Quincies? Like Uryuu?" Karin asked. "And zombies aren't real."

"They were in the war. Ishida-kun is a Quincy, yes." Isane sat down on the couch and looked around. She was in her gigai, since she hadn't been sure if the other Kurosaki girl would be home and it was only polite that the girl should be able to see her. "Hitsugaya-taicho isn't resting like I want him to. I think you'd be able to get him to open up and get everything out. Maybe then he won't have those nightmares."

"Not going to happen. I know Toshiro. He won't listen to anyone, including me." Standing, Karin stretched and picked up her soccer ball. "Now if you don't mind, I have a soccer game to play."

Yuzu poked her head in. "Oh! I didn't know anyone was here. Karin, you're supposed to offer guests refreshments. Let me go get them something."

"That's your sister?" Isane asked.

"Yeah, that's Yuzu."

"She's cute. She isn't like you or Ichigo at all." The tall fukutaicho looked at Ranigku. Neither of them knew what to do now.

"Here you go!" Yuzu set a tray of juice and pastries on the small table. "So what were you talking about?"

"They want me to go check on Toshiro." Karin reached for a cookie but was stopped by Yuzu. "What?"

"Why wouldn't you go? He's your friend, isn't he? If you were hurt, he'd come here." The blonde Kurosaki met her sister's gaze seriously. "At least go make sure he's okay."

Karin sighed. "Fine. But only because you think it would be a good idea."

Rangiku and Isane looked at each other. Thank goodness for the one voice of reason in the Kurosaki family.

Toshiro looked up as the door to his room opened. "Matsumoto, I – "

"It's not just me. I brought a guest for you." Rangiku stepped aside, revealing Karin. "Enjoy yourselves!"

Karin stepped forward as Rangiku left the room and closed the door. "Just to be clear, I told her and Isane that you wouldn't want me to come, but Yuzu forced me."

"Good to know." Toshiro couldn't help but feel a pang at hearing that she wasn't interested in coming. "There was no reason for them to force you to come here. I'm fine."

"Yeah, Matsumoto said you'd say that." Karin tentatively moved to the bed and sat down when Toshiro didn't protest. "She said you were turned into a zombie."

"I was." He fell silent and looked down at his lap.

Karin raised an eyebrow. She'd never seen him like this before. Toshiro had always exuded an air of confidence. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you all keep asking me?" Toshiro angrily punched his pillow. "I still don't know why they're forcing me to stay here. I can do paperwork even if Isane thinks I'm exhausted."

"I don't think that's what they're worried about."

"Then what are they worried about?"

"Rangiku said something about you having nightmares. I think that's what she was worried about." Karin picked at a loose thread on Toshiro's blanket, avoiding his gaze.

Toshiro rested a hand on hers, making her look up. "It's fine. They aren't as bad as Rangiku makes it sound."

"You're lying. You always try to avoid looking at me when you're lying. It's worse than they think, isn't it?"

"No."

"Toshiro…"

"I answered you already." He turned away. "I'm fine."

Karin thought for a minute then leapt forward, tackling the chibi captain. He tried to fight back but found that she was too strong for him at the moment. "You are not fine. Rangiku was right, you do need someone to force you to talk."

"Kurosaki – "

"Don't Kurosaki me! My name is Karin and you know that!" She pressed her hands to his shoulders and met his gaze. "What. Is. Wrong."

"I – " Toshiro bit his tongue. If he started talking he wouldn't be able to control himself. "Can't you just trust me?"

"Not really. You haven't spoken to anyone about what happened and I know that isn't good. For someone so smart, you're really dumb when it comes to trauma." Karin sat up slowly and allowed him to follow suit. "What's wrong? Really. You're not your usual self."

"I – Karin, I can't." He met her soft gaze, his face turning red. "I can't talk about it. You don't understand."

"Try me. I'll listen to you, at least, right? Just get it out." In a move very unlike her, Karin gently ran her fingers through his hair. "I won't judge you."

Toshiro shook his head. "It isn't that. I just…"

"It's either me or someone else. Nightmares are caused by your fears and insecurities. Until you confront them you'll always have nightmares." She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, making the blush on Toshiro's cheeks flare up. "Come on. You've helped me out with soccer and other stuff, can't I help you? I'm not a damsel in distress all the time."

Toshiro found himself laughing at that. The image of Karin dressed as a princess in a high tower was so illogical. As he got himself under control, he found Karin watching him, eyes wide. "What?"

"I've never seen you laugh before. It's nice." Karin moved to sit on the bed beside him, ignoring the fact that it was probably inappropriate and Ichigo would kill them both if he found out. "Will you talk to me?"

"I don't…I don't think I can just yet. It's still raw. You don't understand." He took her hand. "It's not that I don't want to. I trust you. I just…"

"I get it. But you'll have to talk at some point. And I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks."

"I left her with taicho. I was hoping she could get him to talk a little. He's been having terrible nightmares." Rangiku lead Ichigo to Toshiro's room, keeping up a constant stream of chatter. "They're very close, I've never seen Toshiro so friendly with anyone, not even me."

"So you left them in the room? Alone?" Ichigo glared at the strawberry blonde. "They're teenagers! Who knows what they're doing?!"

"Oh, Kurosaki, come on. You're a teenager too." She quieted down and slowly slid the door open. "Taicho?"

Ichigo slipped in after her and was greeted by a sight that almost made him scream. "Matsumoto…" he hissed.

Toshiro and Karin were settled on Toshiro's bed, asleep. Karin had an arm wrapped around him and Toshiro was pressed against her. As he watched, his sister pulled the captain closer to herself, making him sigh with content.

"Matsumoto!"


End file.
